If He'd Never Been Born
by RainyxDays
Summary: Doodoodoodoodoodoo.
1. Chapter 1

Yeah, this just randomly popped into my head. I had just watched "It's A Wonderful Life" since it's the holidays, and everything. I began to just let my thoughts wander, later, and, of course, they came back to Twilight. Then it randomly hit me-What would have happened if Jasper had never been born? Apart from the fact I would have been very sad and missing out on my favorite vampire, I thought about "It's A Wonderful Life". What if Jasper was in that spot where he got to see what it would have been like if he had never been born? So, it was late, I was tired, and I just started to write. I came up with this lame crossover. 

NOTE: I do not own the Twilight series, or It's A Wonderful Life. It may be hard to believe, but it is true.

Jasper's P.O.V.

Her blood. I must have it. Mine.

These thoughts blurred all others, completely fogged by the delicious scent that overcame me.

I struggled against the firm grip of whoever was holding me back. I must get to her.

Forget that she was Edward's girlfriend. Forget that she would one day be my little sister (if Alice's visions came true). Forget that she was completely innocent, and had just come over for her birthday party. Forget that she was Bella.

With the small sane part of me left, I realized how horrible I was. How monstrous. I also realized I was getting slowly dragged away and the scent of blood was less pronounced.

"C'mon, Jasper." I heard Emmett grunt-he must've been the one pulling me outside. I still faintly put up a struggle.

Being outside helped a lot. I was in the outdoor air, and with so many other scents, I could focus on something other than the blood.

Emmett still kept his hold on my arms and the back of my shirt. After a few minutes, I choked out, "Let me go, Emmett."

He hesitated.

"I'm okay now. " I tried to reassure him, as much as myself.

Awkwardly, he let go of me. I staggered forward in an un-vampirely fashion, before catching myself. The only thing I could think was that I had almost murdered. Again. I almost instinctively crouched down, repulsed, and pressed my face into my hands, closing myself out.

I stayed that way for God knows how long, until I felt a light hand on the back of my neck. I raised my head to see Alice looking down at me with worry in her eyes.

"Jazz? You okay?" She asked tentatively.

I couldn't answer that.

"How's Bella?" I mumbled, almost afraid to ask, even though I knew she must be okay.

"She's fine. When she fell, she got some scratches, but nothing too bad. Carlisle's taking care of her. She said to tell you it's not your fault…"

I couldn't take that. Bella was worrying about ME of everyone; being so selfless, as she was. She was forgiving me for nearly killing her now.

I had to get away. I couldn't forgive myself as easily.

I jumped up, and began to run. I heard Alice call after me, frantically, but I ignored her.

I raced through the woods, even causing the boundary line-breaking the treaty. I didn't care so much what happened anyway, now. I ran until I reached the cliffs.

I stared down it, to the ocean below, where the white foam hit the rock. _If I were human_, mused, _it would be only too easy to end my life by jumping. What would it be like to end your life like that? If it would make everyone's lives easier, make them better, I would. Not that it would do anything to me. If I ran away though…better yet-I wish I had never even been born_…

"AAHH!!"

Suddenly, a person was soaring off the cliff and falling to the water, screaming.

I was completely stunned for a minute. Lost in my own worries, I hadn't even heard them coming. I stupidly stared for an instant as they hit the water, went under, and then came back up. I heard a faint plea, "Help! Help!"

Well, I had to do something. Scarcely thinking about the consequences, I jumped off after them.

The water wasn't very deep, nor the currents strong, so I could swim effortlessly. I swam over to the man floundering in the water, and grabbed his arms. He was just a human, and very fragile, so I tried to be as gentle as possible. _I won't hurt anyone anymore._ I vowed to myself, as I easily pulled him to shore.

"Are, you okay?" I asked the first thing that came to mind. For a minute, I forgot about my troubles.

The person I'd rescued was a small old man with white hair, and a wrinkly face-like he smiled a lot. He smiled at me, and began to wring out his shirt. "Why, yes, I'm fine. " He said pleasantly. "The question is, are you okay, Jasper?"

I stared, confused. How did he know my name? My first conclusion that logically made sense was that Alice told him. At Alice's name, my chest twisted painfully. There was no way I could go back to see her now. If I wanted to get out, I'd have to leave soon.

I jolted back when the man began to talk, "No, your wife Alice didn't tell me. I've watched you for years, Jasper, since you were born. I know you very well."

"Who are you?" I asked, warily. "What do you want?" I stood up and began to edge slowly away.

He smiled humbly, then pulled a little book out of his pocket, and began to flip through the damp pages. With a closer look, I realized it was a bible. That didn't make me feel any better.

"I'm Clarence, your guardian angel."

Well, I know it's random. I apologize if some parts are off. I haven't read New Moon in a while, and I know the parts from the movie were very different. I tried to stay at least a little true to it. I hope you were at least entertained for a few minutes. Want to leave a comment?


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! So I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who added this story to their favorites list, or put it on alert. Special thanks to ****XguitarheroX**** who reviewed it. Thank youuu. It made my day. :) I know this chapter is up early, but I had this written down already. So…enjoy!**

**NOTE: Again, I don't own anything.**

_(Where it left off) __"I'm Clarence, your guardian angel…"_

Jasper's P.O.V.

"Oh. Haha, you're funny." I said shortly, standing up. I decided this guy wasn't exactly worth the while, and was ready to leave.

"Yes, I get that a lot." He said mildly. "But it is the truth, Jasper, believe it or not."

"How about a "thanks for saving my life" and we can just forget this happened and go on our ways?" I said, trying to stay even-tempered.

"Well, technically that would be wrong since I, in fact, saved your life." Clarence said, smiling up at me.

Okay. This guy was just plain crazy. He thought he had saved my life? My mouth quirked a little at the idea my life was in any danger. "Oh, yeah, you really helped me out here. I don't think I can thank you enough." I said sarcastically. I couldn't help it. Normally I would have tried a little harder to be polite, but under the circumstances, I wasn't in the greatest mood.

"Don't mention it." He said, cheerily. "I suppose it wouldn't have been so great for you or your family if the werewolves had gotten a hold of you on their land…"

I had begun to edge away, but froze. What? No, there was no way…"What did you say?" I asked, hoping I'd misheard.

"Oh, I know about all the mess you're in, Jasper-vampires, werewolves…why you just all can't get along is beyond me though…"Clarence said, chuckling at my face, probably.

"But…how?" I asked tonelessly.

He frowned, and shook his bible at me, indignantly. "I told you, Jasper, I'm your guardian angel! I know everything."

It was all just getting weirder and weirder.

"I saw that you were having a difficult time right now, and I came down to help you change your mind about running away from everyone forever." Clarence said. He clucked his tongue and shook his head. "Not a good idea; you have a good life."

"You're kidding." I said, now beginning to get angry. "My life is good? I'm a monster. If you know everything about me you'd know that. I should have never been born." As soon as I said that loudly to him, I regretted it. You'd think he was a little kid and I had just broken the news Santa Claus wasn't real.

He looked shocked. "Now don't say that! I won't get my wings with that attitude of yours."

"You and me both." I muttered, shortly. I wasn't even going to ask.

"No, really!" He said, looking slightly upset. "I'm an Angel 2nd Class, and I have to help you in order to get my…" Suddenly he trailed off. He looked thoughtful. "Never born, did you say?" He looked up, skyward. "Now that could work as an idea. What do you think?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling like I was missing something.

"I wasn't talking to you Jasper, I was talking to Joseph."

_Right_, I thought,_ he has an invisible friend now._

Clarence still stared at the sky, nodding, slowly. "You think so?" Pause. "Yes, I think it just might work."

"What might work?" I asked.

He looked me dead in the eye, seriously. "You're sure about this, Jasper? Life is a precious thing that shouldn't be taken for granted-"

I began to growl. It was easy to get annoyed at this guy. "You don't GET it, do you? My life is not precious. All I've succeeded in doing is screwing up other peoples' lives! It's like trying to play a stupid game you'll never get, anyway! Well, I am quitting." I didn't know how, but I would. I turned and began to walk swiftly down the beach. I had no idea where I was going; I just knew I had to get away from my past life-and the crazy old man.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he appeared in front of me. It doesn't take a lot to scare me, but that pretty much did. I stopped.

"What the he-?" I burst out, but was interrupted.

"You've gotten your wish now, Jasper. You've never been born." Clarence said…

**Well, there's a cliffy! Sorry, I know not much in this chapter happened. It was mainly dialogue, but I promise more will happen! I just had to get a lot of the important stuff out first. Jasper was also OOC, probably. I'll try to improve it as I go along. I also have a question. I was thinking-if Jasper had never been born, would he still be a vampire? Would he be him or a vampire? What do you think? Reviews are very nice. You can give me your opinion. ******


	3. Author's Note!

**Author's Note: Sorry, this isn't a chapter guys. I'm going to try to update soon, but there's been this part of the story really bothering me…if Jasper had never been born, would you want him to turn back into a human, since he started out as a human, or would he still stay a vampire? [Spoiler!] I was going for human, but I thought I'd ask more peoples' opinions. PLEASE tell, me what you think should happen. I have two different things going for each; I just want to hear what more people would want to read. Thanks! Sorry for this thing. I know they're kind of annoying.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Do I need to keep torturing myself with this? I don't own anything.**

_(Where it left off) __"You've gotten your wish now, Jasper. You've never been born." Clarence said…_

Jasper's P.O.V

I took off running, on an automatic reflex, suddenly feeling incredibly slow and awkward.

"It won't do you any good to run, Jasper!" Clarence called after me, but I ignored him, pressing on. Something was weighing me down, though, and I couldn't move fast. Then I stopped. Something was off. Really off.

My sense of smell was gone. I could scarcely hear anything. If before I could see for long distances, I couldn't see much of anything now. And…I looked down at my arms. My skin was no longer unnaturally pale. My scars from the newborn bites were gone.

_My God._ My thoughts reeled. I was imagining things. Somehow I had gone crazy and was seeing things. Or not seeing things. It was that guy…Clarence. He had somehow messed up my mind with his crazy talk.

Or the unthinkable had happened, and I was human now.

"Funny feeling, isn't it?" Clarence said, of course popping out of nowhere.

"What the hell did you do to me?" I demanded. "What, you messed with my mind or something, didn't you? I don't know what you're trying to do, but you better stop-," Now I had to stop and take a breath. Weird, I hadn't had the need to breathe in years.

"Well, how do you know it isn't some crazy dream?" Clarence asked, raising his eyebrows. "That I'm not some figment of your imagination?"

I stared at him. "Are you kidding? I don't sleep. At least I haven't for a while…" Oh jeez.

I was human.

I was human?

I stared at my arms some more. It was unnatural.

"I'm just kidding with you, Jasper. How does it feel to be mortal again?"

"I don't think I believe it." I muttered.

"Well, here you are." Clarence handed me a mirror. "Take a look at yourself."

I hesitated, and then took it, feeling foolishly like Rosalie.

The person that stared back at me was me…well a partial image of me. But my eyes were a blue-gray, the color they I been when I was human. My skin had tanned, and the old scars on my neck were gone. The sculpture perfect complexion of my vampire self was gone. I looked virtually regular now. I was amazed that I was happy about that, apart from being stunned.

"You…that is…wow…" I stuttered. What excuse could I come up with for that?

"Well, how about getting a bite to eat?" Clarence declared, clapping his hands.

Before I could say anything, we were suddenly in front of Forks' little diner.

"Sh-," I stumbled backwards. The diner seemed like a foreign place from where we'd been before, on the beach. "How'd that get…?"

Clarence looked a little sheepish. "Technically, I'm not supposed to be doing that, but it's easier, and gets things done speedier." He looked up at the sky. "Sorry, Joseph."

**[A/N: I know they never mentioned angels being able to teleport, or whatever, but I can picture that happening, and it would be helpful**. **So it will be a little different.]**

"Don't do that again. I swear. I already feel crazy enough, the last thing I need is-Wait, what the hell am I going to do here? It's not like I can eat any of this stuff!" I said a little too loudly; a couple walking out stared at me.

"Jasper," Clarence said patiently (and a lot quieter) "let me remind you that you are human now, and humans can eat "stuff" at the diner."

I took a deep breath, and then realized something. I wasn't hit by the scent of human blood everywhere that use to drive me insane. There were a lot of humans around, but the only thing I smelled…were french-fries?

"Let's go inside, I'm hungry." Clarence said, pulling me inside. I nervously followed, not quite sure what else to do.

I had never actually been inside the diner before. I never had the need to, obviously. Apparently a lot of people went there. That alone was a big "KEEP AWAY" sign to me. Not anymore, though.

It was sort of cute inside. It had a bunch of pictures hanging on the walls, black and white tiles on the floor, and those fat red seating benches. It looked like a scene from an old movie-the kind Alice use to make me watch with her on the weekends…

Alice. I froze. If I did go back, how would I explain this to her? Did she have a vision of it happening already? What would they all say?

I tried to shove the thoughts from my mind, and sat at one of the booths across from Clarence. He was looking around in interest.

"It's a very lovely place you have here." He said politely, to the waitress that came over.

"Thanks…" She said, looking a little confused. "It's pretty old, and been around a while…"

"Well so am I! I stopped counting when I got past 300 though; it seemed a little pointless." He rambled.

I shot him a look, and interrupted. "Uh, I'll have french-fries." It seemed weird to be saying that. If I got hungry, I usually went hunting. She still looked a little skeptical, but nodded, and wrote that down.

"Hm…do you have any angel food cake?" Clarence asked. He couldn't even try to act normal.

"No…we have brownies though."

"Well, I guess that'll do." She wrote his order down and left.

"Angel food cake?" I asked, sarcastically.

"It's not just a joke, Jasper, it really is good."

I sighed and shook my head.

"This is just unbelievable." I said, still trying to comprend it. "I'm actually going to eat food? I don't have a clue what you did, maybe I died, or something, but it does seem better."

Clarence shrugged, and had a look in his eye like he knew something was coming.

CLANG!

The door rang open loudly, as someone came in. I looked over. I hoped it wasn't one of the kids from school; it would be awkward for them to see me here for the first time.

It was Bella's father, though, Charlie Swan.

I quickly looked away. There's no way he could have known what really happened to Bella, and that it was my fault, but guilt overcame me anyway. I hoped he didn't see me and wouldn't say anything.

He stomped over loudly, counting some money in his hand. When he reached our table, he looked up. At first he looked surprised, then angry. Great.

"What're you doing at my table?" He growled.

I was confused at his cold tone, but managed to get some intelligent words out. "Um, sorry Chief Swan. I didn't know this was your table…"

"Have me met?" He demanded. "I haven't seen you around before." He peered at me, and then Clarence, before shaking his head. "Nope, I don't know you."

That was strange. I knew I'd met him several times before, since he and Carlisle were friends.

"I'm Jasper Hale. I'm Carlisle Cullen's adoptive son."

I stopped at the look on his face. Apparently I'd said something wrong. He looked shocked for a minute, then sad, and finally-furious.

"You're one of the Cullens?" He snarled.

_What was his problem now?_ I thought, flabbergasted. He had always gotten along with our family fine, before. I saw Clarence wince slightly, across the table.

I tried to calm him down, but it didn't work. I had always been very charismatic, but suddenly it was gone. Well this was perfect timing.

"Sir, I don't know what's wrong." I said, carefully.

"Oh, don't try that with me." He thundered. "How any of you can show your faces around here is beyond me!"

This was getting exceedingly weird and awkward, and the whole diner was silent-everyone was staring at us.

"Well, we'll just leave…" I muttered, standing up, just as the waitress came over, looking annoyed by the disturbance. She saw Chief Swan and knowing dawned on her face.

"Charlie, here, can I get you a cup of coffee or something?" She asked, calmly, leading him to another table.

He grumbled something I couldn't here-damn my weak hearing. Clarence stood up and followed me out, quickly. We left without even getting the food. Right before the door closed, I turned and saw Bella's father collapse at the table, and put his face in his hands.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Never did get my brownie." Clarence said, regretfully.

"Are you kidding?" I asked. "What happened back there?" I stared at the door some more, feeling a little stunned.

Clarence sighed. "Well, Charlie Swan has a grudge, you could say, against the Cullens. Mainly Carlisle and Edward."

"Since when?" I asked, lost.

"Since Bella's death." He said, simply.

I froze. _What?_ "No, I saw Bella today!" _And almost killed her_, I added silently.

Clarence shook his head, sadly. "She died several months ago, Jasper. She was killed by James. I should probably show you…"

I moved away. "Stop it. The joke's over. This isn't funny." I snarled. "I saw Bella not long ago, there's no way she's dead."

"Reality isn't always funny, Jasper." He said softly. "And you'll find that a lot has changed."

Then, the next thing I knew, we were in a graveyard…

**Well, this was a little longer than the others. Jasper is surprisingly hard to write. This is going to start to be very different, now… **

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Wow, I'm pretty surprised with all the nice reviews I'm getting. Thanks everyone who's reviewing and reading! Here's the next chapter.**

_Then, the next thing I knew, we were in a graveyard…_

I would never get use to the feeling of suddenly being in another place with no warning. And it was more off-putting if that place happened to be a cemetery.

My family and I had always, for some reason, taken comfort in cemeteries. Something about the fact that those people never had to suffer hell like us was reassuring. People were supposed to die. It was part of life. I couldn't believe some people were actually afraid of them and took them as bad luck omens.

Now, I sort of got that feeling. I crossed my arms, edgily, and looked around. "What are we doing here?" I asked, flatly.

Clarence didn't answer, and began to walk over to a marble stone, with an eerie statue of an angel on top. He looked at it silently, then at me.

I wanted to stay away from that particular grave. Maybe it was the sculpted heartbroken image on the angel's face. I had a sense of what it would say, in my head, but it just seemed so wrong, and I didn't want to believe it for a second.

After a few minutes of stalling, I slowly dragged my feet over. I crouched down in front of it and read:

_IN LOVING MEMONY OF_

_ISABELLA SWAN_

_1988-2005_

"Bella?" I asked, stupidly, because, now that I saw them, the words didn't fully process. "Why does it say…?"

"Jasper, Bella was killed by James that day his coven ran into the Cullens playing baseball-,"

I shook my head numbly. "No, Alice had a vision. We were able to save her…we killed James before he could kill her." I protested.

"Well, in this case, that never happened, since you nor Alice was there to protect her."

"Alice and I were there. And where's Alice? Why'd you say she wasn't there? Is she okay?" I barked sharply.

Clarence shuffled his feet. "Well, she's fine, in a sense, but…" He trailed off.

Fear was already tugging at me. This felt real-fear for Alice. Realer than the majority of this day. Realer than the gravestone in front of me.

Now, I just had to get home.

"Alice is fine." I growled. "I'm going to see her. All of them. You just leave me alone."

Then, for the 3rd time that day, I began to run. It never hit me that I was human and incredibly slow, or that my house was very far. I just ran. I felt stares from some curious people, when I got into town, but I ignored them.

By the time I got to the woods, I was panting, but never slowing place. Even without my hyperactive senses, I knew my way home by heart.

When I finally saw the house, I was almost falling over. I managed to make it up the steps and to the door. I was drenched in sweat, and my legs felt ready to give out any minute. I didn't know how I'd ever explain this to the others, but I just wanted to be there. I knocked, quickly.

After a moment, it opened and I was looking at Esme. Her sweet, motherly face was polite, then surprised, and soft. "Can I help you?" She asked curiously.

What? I shook my head, ignoring that. "Esme, something crazy happened today. You probably won't believe it, but after I left, I met this angel, who turned me into a human, and now…" I trailed off as her face changed to bewilderment.

"Sweetie, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking, about and I don't think I can help you. I'm sorry." She sent me an apologetic look, and began to close the door. I stopped it.

"Esme, what are you talking about? I'm Jasper. Can't you tell? I mean I still look the same, basically." She just stared at me, but I kept talking, unable to stop myself. "Just let me in. I know it's weird, but I need to see Alice-,"

"Alice?" She repeated, suddenly. "What do you want with Alice?"

Panic was taking over. What was wrong with her? Why didn't she know me? "I need to see her because I'm her husband, for God's sake! Where the hell is she?" I yelled so loudly, that Esme actually looked a little frightened. I didn't blame her. I scared myself at the anger, over the fear and confusion.

"Is there a problem?" I jerked up as I heard Carlisle's calm voice. He, Emmett, and Rosalie were flanked around Esme, looking a little hostile. What was everyone's' problem anyway? They looked at me as if I were a stranger.

I racked the area behind them, but I didn't see Alice. Or Edward either, actually.

"Who is he?" Rosalie asked, irritable, dismissively eyeing me over.

"I don't know," Esme replied, looking concerned. "He just came up and began saying all these random things…"

"You know me!" I exploded. "I'm Jasper Hale! I live here!"

Emmett looked bemused. Rosalie was looking annoyed. Esme still looked worried. Carlisle was studying me, with an unreadable expression. "I think you've got the wrong house, son." He said. "We've lived here for years. If you need me to take you anywhere…"

I shook my head. This was ridiculous. I needed to be here. "Where's Alice?" I asked, brokenly. She'd know me.

"How do you know Alice?" Carlisle asked, as looks of surprise and shock were written over the others faces. I saw Esme flinch a little at her name.

"How do I-? I know all of you perfectly." Rosalie and Emmett exchanged alarmed looks.

"What the-?" Emmett said.

"What do you know?" Carlisle asked.

"We-you're all vampires. You're vegetarians though, you only think animal blood." Maybe this would help them believe me. "Alice and I joined the family some years ago-,"

I as cut off by a sharp growl from Rosalie, and she lunged forward, hissing furiously. Emmett looked too surprised to stop her. Carlisle, grabbed her, and pushed her back, though.

"Rosalie," He warned.

She glared at him, but I noted something like fear in her eyes. "He knows, Carlisle! We have to kill him! No one can know."

"Maybe not," Carlisle said, firmly. "Before jumping to conclusions like that we should try to talk this out."

"Carlisle," I begged, "you have to believe me. I wouldn't make this us. You have to remember me. Something happened, and-and now everything's changed. I don't know what happened. Bella can't be dead, can she?"

Carlisle froze up, and for once didn't have his calm demeanor. He looked about one thousand years older and grave. He also looked incredibly and unbelievably guilty. The others had the same reactions-depressed-except Rosalie. She was staring at me with a look that said she wanted to kill me.

"Carlisle, "Esme said, a little timidly, "Edward…"

Sure enough, Edward had appeared, and was standing farther back, by the stairs. Like Carlisle, he looked different. Hollow. I didn't understand the look. Did it mean Bella was actually dead? I couldn't understand. For once I didn't know what to say.

"Who are you?" Edward asked me in a hoarse, empty voice. "What did you say about…Bella?" A tortured look crossed his face when he said her name.

"Nothing," Carlisle immediately said. "It's nothing, Edward." He locked eyes with Esme, and she nodded, and walked back over to Edward. Rosalie and Emmett stood there, looking unsure what to do.

Carlisle nodded at them. "Everyone back inside. I need to talk privately with Jasper."

"But-," Rosalie protested. She shut up at Carlisle's face. She shot me one last cold looks, and drifted away. Emmett stared at me hardly, and then cracked his knuckles, before following Rosalie. The last thing I saw, before Carlisle shut the door, was Edward; unmoving and still staring with the same expression. The same expression, I thought, of the angel on the gravestone.

"Carlisle," I finally began, but he held up a hand. "Jasper, I need you to tell me everything you know about us. It's very important." He looked at me gravely, and very seriously.

I couldn't get around this.

So I began to talk. I told him about his transformation, and incredible self resistance. He had changed Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and even Emmett, after Rosalie had rescued him from near death. I told him how Alice and I had shown up later, after Alice had had her vision. It might have been risky to tell him my part, but I did anyway, figuring the whole truth was better. I told him how Edward could read minds, and Alice had visions of the future. I knew Alice like the back of my left hand. I needed to know where she was as soon as possible. Clarence had said she was okay though, that's what saved me from going totally insane with worry.

When I was done, Carlisle was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "Jasper, I don't know who you are, but your knowledge is impeccable. If you know much more than you say…it could become very dangerous for you. You should go."

I stared at him, in shock. "After all I've told you, you still don't believe me?"

"I don't know what or what not to believe. I've seen a lot during my existence. All I know is that you should go and try not to be a part of this. When humans get involved…it can end badly." He looked at me, sheer loss on his face. "I'm sure you know what I mean." He shook his head a little, and then looked suddenly stony. "Just don't. My advice is to not speak of any of this and leave."

"You haven't explained anything, though!" I said, outraged. "Bella's death, where Alice is…anything!"

"Bella's death is not to be discussed." He said stiffly. "We were caught off guard by some surprising…visitors, and did not have enough notice. Retelling such terrible memories is not what we've wanted. Edward was completely destroyed by her death, and we've had to keep a close watch on him so he doesn't do anything reckless. The rest of the family does not speak of it."

I was quiet. It must have taken a terrible toll on all of them. But it still didn't make sense.

"Alice had her visions," I said, quietly, "Bella's life was saved…before."

Carlisle looked at me, in confusion. "Alice was gone, before the game. She wasn't there to help."

Alice was gone before the game.

Alice was gone.

I swallowed. "Where did Alice go?"

Carlisle looked at me for a minute. "Alice could never be happy here with us. " He said in a resigned voice, "she stayed for a while, yes, and did care about us, I'm sure, but she was never quite happy enough."

"Alice loved all of you." I said, stunned. "Finding your family was the best thing that's ever happened for her." "She'd never leave us." I missed my slip up.

"Well, she did, finally, giving into their calling. They wanted her with them-for her amazing visions." He looked at the smooth white door frame, gripping it so tightly with his fingers that it caved under the pressure. He let go, brushing off the white dust.

"We never expected her to go." He said. "Esme loved her like a daughter. Emmett was her best friend-Edward was like her brother. She even connected with Rosalie through her love fashion." He smiled wryly. "But I guess, after a while, their offer was tempting. She wanted to get out and went with them."

"Who?" I said frantically, ready to rip out the throats of anyone who took Alice away. "Who took her?"

Carlisle was leaving, but he paused, his hand on the door knob. He sighed, and opened it, to go inside. Just before it closed behind him, I heard him say two words mutedly:

"The Volturi."

**Ah hah, so how's that for a twist? Don't worry, Alice will be coming in, later on in the story. I know it's hard to picture her joining the Volturi, and she never would, but that's just what I imagined happening. Jasper should have done some thinking before his wish…**

**I love reviews. Give me your opinion. **


	6. I'm sorry everyone!

**A/N: Hey it's Sarah, and no, this isn't the next chapter. Sorry! I've had an extreme case of writer's block, so this story was on hold for a while. But I got so many nice reviews (thank you!) and figured I should just let you guys know that I didn't just drop this story. It wouldn't be that fair to ya'll. Honestly, it's getting a little harder to write since I haven't read any of the books in a loooong time. But I'm trying to review New Moon. My goal is to get the next chapter up this weekend. So THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOU PATIENCE. And I'm sorry for the wait. **

**Have a great day! 3**


	7. Chapter 5

**Well, dedicated readers, here is the next chapter! Gahh, 4 months is way too long. I'm not going to put off the story for that long again. Thanks again for all your patience guys! Well, I'm not going to ramble or anything. On with the story.**

**NOTE: This procrastinating writer owns nothing, except the plotline. But even that not really, since it's basically like It's a Wonderful Life. But, you know what I mean.**

_(Where it left off)__ Carlisle was leaving, but he paused, his hand on the door knob. He sighed, and opened it, to go inside. Just before it closed behind him, I heard him say two words mutedly: "The Volturi."_

I just stood there when the door was shut. I just stood and stood and stood, then tried knocking again. This time, no one answered. Carlisle had most likely told them to not to open it. Some insane part of my mind thought of scaling the house and getting in through a window, but that was ridiculous. And useless. I'd heard everything-ever single terrifying, heartbreaking word. Alice was gone. Half of me felt gone as well.

I didn't have anywhere to go, so I finally sat down on the stairs. I sat quietly, numbly, and wished desperately that this was a nightmare and I would wake up. I wanted the one person who was unavailable. Gone. Alice was, oddly enough, my savior. Without her I had no one.

Well. I had someone. The one person I really didn't wish to see, but had to. Feeling like an idiot, I hesitantly muttered, "Clarence…"

Nothing.

I groaned and stood up, saying louder, "Clarence?" The Cullens probably heard me, but what would they care? To them I was just some crazy guy who needed some kind of help. Like coffee. Or a doctor.

"Clarence, I'm sorry for running away!" I said at my loudest. "I just need you to come back!"

"Jasper, it's been forever, it seems." I jumped, and saw Clarence stroll into the clearing. "Where've you been? I demanded. "Would you just leave me to rot after all that's happened? I need you to take me to Alice. Where is she right now? You can transport me. I just need to get to her now." The urgency was clear in my words.

He sighed. "Jasper, why're you asking me?"

"You know everything apparently, little angel." I said angrily. "You got me into this!"

"Me?" He asked innocently. "But Jasper, I just granted you your wish…"

"This ISN'T my wish!" I was losing it. I gestured around to nothing in particular, furiously. "This is a nightmare! You screwed with everything…and- and I don't know how, but somehow everyone is thinking this is all real! No one knows me anymore! I'm NOTHING to everyone! I need to get back to reality! I can't stay in your little psycho world!" I was close to hollering.

"You don't get it yet, Jasper," he said, as if speaking to a child, "this is all real. This is very real. This is life if you'd never been born"

I was going to rip his head off. I really was. I had to resist that. Well, not that it made a difference. I was weak as a freakin KITTEN now! I let out a growl, and began to pace around the ground. There had to be something I could do. Some way to work my way out of this. I tried strategizing, but this wasn't like wars I had fought. This was something utterly different. I couldn't tell the police-they'd think I was crazy and probably lock me up in a psychiatric ward. My family had deserted me. They were really all I knew. What was left? My old friends Charlotte and Peter? I had no way of knowing where they were anyway. They probably wouldn't know me. And dragging them into the mess would be wrong. Why knows what crazy Clarence would do to them?

And what if I did find someone who knew me? So what? What could they do? I looked sideways at Clarence. He was rocking back and forth on his feet, humming something that sounded like a hymn I'd heard at church. He was behind all of this. Maybe I could scare him enough into making him tell me what to do to get out of this. If I got a vampire to help…

"Don't even think about it, Jasper." Clarence said cheerfully. "I'm an angel and you nor any vampire can do me no harm. Plus it won't look that good for you in front of God…" He looked skyward, almost apologetically.

Of course. He was a mind reader on top of everything else. Damn.

I stopped pacing. I was feeling something I hadn't felt in the longest time: defeat. Nothing. There was nothing left for me. I flopped down in front of a tree, feeling useless, and-dare I say it?-scared. If I couldn't find something…if I couldn't get everyone to think normally…

Suddenly, there was a huge bellow from inside the house, "I DON'T FREAKING GET THIS CRAP!"

Emmett? I stared, startled at this normalcy, and almost comforted by the fact some things were the same. Another range of emotion was anger-the fact that they were still living their lives.

The next voice was Rosalie's annoyed, exasperated one. "Emmett, it's only history! It's not that hard to remember!"

I waited for some more. There was nothing, but a vague shushing sound-most likely Esme.

"Ah, poor Emmett." Clarence said almost sadly. "All these years, and he's still having trouble with his history work. I believe he's on the Civil War generals, and battles." He shot me a look.

"You just love to torture me." I said flatly. "There's no way Emmett could fail history or even struggle with it."

"Oh, why do you think that?"

"Because I FOUGHT in the Civil War! I was there! I tutored him! I taught him everything!" I yelled, heart pounding. It was one of my earliest memories in the Cullen house, after Alice and I had met them. Alice…

I inwardly crumpled. "I just need Alice." I said, pathetically, running a hand through my blond hair, tiredly. "Alice will make everything better." If I couldn't help Alice help me (if that made sense), I thought grimly, then that was it. Really it. Alice had always been there-a light in my otherwise dark life. Nothing would change that to me. Even this highly weird, random situation, I thought, smiling dryly to myself.

Clarence tapped his foot, watching me thoughtfully. "You do seem very dependent on Alice, Jasper. You do know how much things have changed…"

Oh jeez. Here we go again. "Look, I get that. You've pulled off a lot with you angel powers, or hypnosis whatever. You can get me to Alice; I don't care what's changed. I just need this. I'm going to bring her back. If I can't be with her…I at least want to make sure she's back safely, with the Cullens."

Clarence actually looked touched. "Okay then. I'll take you to her, just don't blame me for your problems and whatever happens." He motioned at me to follow him back into the woods, away from the house.

I was regretful. I couldn't help glancing backwards at the house when we were almost out of eyesight. I thought I saw someone looking out the upstairs window-Edward's window-but I couldn't be sure. Damn weak human eyes. _Goodbye,_ I thought, _just wait a little bit, and I'll have this fixed._

I hoped. But as everything spiraled out of vision, I wasn't so sure.

Cold air hit my face. I blinked open my eyes, momentarily stunned at how cold it was-apart from Forks. I hadn't felt the cold in so long. Goosebumps rose along my arms.

"Volterra," Clarence said matter of factly. I shuddered a little, folding my arms tightly around me. I had always had a sort of respect for the Volturi and how they had controlled the newborns. Now, I just hated them. They had taken my Alice. I could never look at them the same way again.

I finally looked around at my surroundings. It was pretty dark out, except for the moon shining above. There were many large looming buildings, looking ominous in the dark. As far as I could tell, no one was out. I didn't blame them. Now, I just had to find the Volturi.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to adjust more to the dark. I had never actually been to the Volturi's house. Alice had explained to me there journey though, so I had some ideas. I had to find a specific alleyway by the big clock.

"You might want to head this way," Clarence said, gesturing down the left of the cobblestone street. I shot him a look. "I know that." "Sure you did, Jasper," He said, to be annoying, probably. I didn't have time for him. I brushed it off, biting back a retort.

"Just keep quiet," I muttered. He mimed zipping his lips and tossing the key over his shoulder. Then he followed obediently down the dark rugged street.

All the houses and building looked the same. I felt like I had been walking forever, when it was probably just a few minutes. I gnashed my teeth in frustration, as we walked by a fountain. I had quickened my pace several times, but it didn't seem to be doing any good to me. This task, I had to remind myself, wasn't impossible. I just couldn't stop-

A suddenly loud bass chiming rang out. It was a clock. A huge clock. The deafening bongs went on for a bit then stopped. It was enough though. My ears still ringing, I looked up at the tower.

"Palazzo dei Priori," Clarence said, breaking his vow of silence. Now I didn't care so much. "Palazzo dei Priori," I murmured, "the clock tower." The alleyway was by the clock tower. I spotted it-the narrow strip between buildings and, my heart racing, I hurried over, against the wind.

I didn't have super hyped up senses, but I had a conscious. It was telling me to get the hell away from there. I was human. If I came up with a vampire, I was dead. My heart had very different ideas, and my feet followed, leading me into the alley.

"Hello?" I said, a little too loudly. I felt like I had broken something, my voice cutting through the silence.

Clarence stood by the entrance. "No one will answer you there, Jasper. They aren't here. And they, ah, already ate," He added, after somehow reading my thoughts of being a "meal to lure them in.

"Shoot," I muttered, darkly, kicking my foot at a trashcan. "That ruined my plans."

"Just keep walking," Clarence said. Not knowing what else to do, I listened, walking, and stumbling over the slanted ground. I couldn't see that great in the dark. If I shifted my eyes and blinked a lot, I could see the outlines of different shapes. I could also feel the ground was moving downward. I kept walking. I couldn't hear Clarence behind me, it was so quiet. I figured he was anyway. I was just walking aimlessly, praying for something.

The brick wall came out of nowhere. "Shit," I muttered, after running into it. It wasn't very pleasant. The bricks scratched my face and hands. Pain was an odd feeling, mused the smallest part of my brain that wasn't focused on finding Alice. I mean, this pain was nothing like the many vampire bites I'd acquired over the years. This was a more subtle, tingling sensation. So human.

Snap out of it!

"Jasper," Clarence said. I jumped, having momentarily forgotten about him. I turned, and saw him gesturing at something on the ground a few feet away. "It's what you're looking for."

I looked closely in the dark patch, and gingerly reached my hand to it…to find nothing. "It's a hole," I said, confused. "A drain." It was a drain big enough for a body to drop through. I shuddered slightly. "So it's-"

"-an entrance," Clarence finished. I nodded, crouching closer by it. I peered in, trying to determine how deep it was. I didn't have anything to drop in as a tester, and I couldn't see…

"Flashlight?" Clarence asked, pulling one out of nowhere (it was probably some of his angel magic or whatever because that was no coincidence) and offering it to me.

I ignored the fact that I was crazy enough to be use to something like this, and took it. I pressed the on button. Light shown out of the clear glass-a light so bright in the dark, I had to squint. I held it above the human sized hold.

It was deep. The drop itself was probably 20 feet or so. "And the chances of me breaking something increase rapidly," I said to myself, wearily. I forced myself to think of Alice (which was not too hard, honestly), and dangled my legs in, preparing to drop.

Clarence gripped my shoulder. "Jasper, are you SURE about this?"

"Well, about the drop, no. That is, I'm hoping I don't kill myself. But what can you do?" I said, sarcastically.

"No. I mean what is IN there. Are you ready to face it?" There was no humor in his face now.

I sighed, and looked upward for a minute. I couldn't answer that. I just knew I had to go. It was now or never. I clicked the flashlight off. Then I closed my eyes, saw Alice's smiling face in my head, looking encouraging, and then I fell into the darkness with God-knows-what I would find.

I hit the ground faster than I thought, with my knees bent, and my hands balancing my fall. It hurt a little bit, but it was surprisingly okay. I stayed frozen for a minute, waiting for someone to come out of the shadows. I didn't see or hear anything.

Clarence would be coming soon, so I stood up and slowly moved with my hands in front of me, until I found a wall. I leaned against it for stability. The flashlight was miraculously okay. I turned it on.

I was in an empty, enclosed tunnel. It was made of stone, and felt slightly damp, with a pungent odor. I tried not to breathe as much. The only other person there was Clarence, standing a few feet away, peering around. I was use to his bizarre habits of appearing and disappearing silently now.

I angled the flashlight down the tunnel. It was short. Already I could see the end of it. I nodded in the direction. Clarence understood and followed me.

Jeez, it was dark. The only light was from the flashlight and a sliver of moon light coming through the hole we'd come through, shining pale lines across the gray floor.

When we reached the end, shortly, the exit was easy to spot. There was a rusty metal grate and a small wooden door. When I entered it, I would be another step closer to finding Alice.

I already knew what awaited me on the other side, no questions asked. I was no genius, but I just felt it strongly. The foreboding door loomed in front of me, testing me.

I glanced at Clarence. His face was eerie in the dim light, and passive. Almost too quietly to make out, he said, "It's your choice. It always is."

_Well, it's now or never,_ I thought, replaying my earlier thoughts in my head. I placed my hand on the cold, rough handle, and yanked it back, moving though.

Inside, the vampires waited for me.

The two males in cloaks stared at me, blatantly musing, and curious. And cold. So cold.

"So," Demetri mused, "it appears that Alice was right about him coming."

"Well," Felix grinned like the demented Cheshire cat, "she's not ever wrong about these things is she?"

My only real sane thought was of Alice. Of course Alice knew I was coming. Alice, after all, knew everything.

(to be continued)

**Cliffy-ish! Ahh. Well that was that for ya. I love nice reviews. *wink wink* Constructive criticism is always appreciated too you know (flames…not so much)! I want to know what I can do to improve my work. (Our creative writing class at school isn't too great-I need help from other writers.) I also apologize if some of it seems completely weird. I'm dead tired and out of it. I just had to finish typing it up. ******


	8. Chapter 6

**PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello lovely doveys. I'm back. I think. It's been about a year since I last posted on this story, and, truthfully, I'd mostly forgotten about it. But then, I checked my email, and saw that someone had added it to their favorites. It made me feel bad, and kinda shocked that people were still reading it. I looked over it, and read comments, and my heart swelled with love. So…I tried to write. I really tried. And I got a chapter out of it! Woo. But, I'm not sure. I don't remember much from the books about the characters, and a while ago, I made a page of important facts to remember, but I lost it. And I didn't have much desire to go back and check over everything. So it's all from my memory, pretty much, and imagination. It might be decent. It might be horrible. You tell me. Sorry it took so long to write…yeah. Know that I wrote it out of love for you even though I don't know you! I like people. 3 Yes, I am rambling.**

_(Where it left off) My only real sane thought was of Alice. Of course Alice knew I was coming. Alice, after all, knew everything…_

"I don't want to cause trouble," I trailed off, as the two guards gripped Clarence's and my arms and steered up through a doorway.

They exchanged amused looks. "Well, kid, that's sort of unavoidable now." Demetri said. "Yeah, I doubt Aro's too happy to see what he's got." Felix grinned; shoving me through another doorway-it was like a never ending tunnel-to a large reception looking room. "I can't deny I am." I looked around the room. It was a complete reception room, complete with soft looking chairs, a vase of flowers on a coffee table, and a desk with a human woman behind it. She was pretty, with dark hair and eyes, but a sort of anxious-to-please look. I was aware that some (crazy) people worked for the Volturi in hopes of being turned vampire. I was also aware that most of them became a meal.

The woman smiled widely. "If you could please wait here, you will be summoned for council you shortly."

"Sure thing, doll." Felix said, making her blush and giggle flirtatiously. I wondered if she was really that stupid or if it was just an act. I wanted to tell her to get out while she could, but it was too late for that.

"Sit," Demetri growled, pushing me down onto a chair, not using much force. Felix did the same to Clarence, who waved a scolding finger. Then, he immediately got distracted by the flowers.

"Oh, flowers!" He said happily, picking up the vase to sniff them. "Hibiscus, I believe?" He directed the question to the girl.

"Uh…yes."

"One of God's greatest gifts, if I do say so myself." He said approvingly. There was an awkward silence, and I wanted to hit him out of bad nerves. I gritted my teeth and hoped he would pick up the que to shut up.

Well, it felt like we sat there for hours, when, in actuality, it was ten minutes tops. I felt like I was about to explode, when suddenly the huge doors opened, and a small hooded figure came in. I jumped up, thinking it was Alice, but I was disappointed to find that it wasn't.

"Aro is ready for the visitors." Jane said in a clear, childlike voice. She looked intently at me and tilted her head to the side like a curious puppy. I evaded my look. I held her glance for a few seconds before I looked away. I didn't want to appear intimidated.

I was heaved sharply to a standing position and herded through the black doors, to a huge, startlingly white room. There weren't any windows, which was off-putting, and I craned my head backwards to look over Demetri's thick shoulder, for reasons I didn't know, to look out the door; the only way out. The last thing I saw was the receptionist looking in curiously, before the doors slammed shut, echoing. Then, my arms were released. I rubbed them, feeling weak.

In the middle of the room were three vampires atop chairs, and one vampire standing very close nearby. I noticed that all the walls were flanked by dozens of vampires in black cloaks with hoods that hid their faces. The doors were now guarded by Felix and Demetri. Everything about it screamed "trap".

"Welcome to Volterra." A wispy voice drifted from one of the vampires. I tensed up, reflexively as he stood up. Aro. He laughed lightly. "There's no need to be anxious. We're all friends here." None of the other vampires smiled or made any sort of movement. Caius and Marcus looked somber and dark. Sure, friends. I made my shoulders unclench and took a breath. Despite my fear, and current dislike of the Volturi, I held a grudging respect for them from my days with Maria. I bowed my head a little.

"I suppose you know why I'm here," I ventured, not knowing how to start.

He raised his eyebrows. "On the contrary, I'm quite baffled, human." He waved away the vampire hovering beside him. "I'm sure I'll be perfectly fine, Renata." He smiled at her, and glided over to me. He studied me. "I have no idea to who you are, why you're here, or what purpose you serve. I only know that Alice had a vision of you coming." He smiled slowly. "That's all very easy to fix." He placed a cold hand on my forehead and closed his eyes.

I knew what his talent was and that he was looking unto all of my thoughts and memories I had ever had. It was a little unsettling, but I stayed still. It would be good that he knew and understand the truth.

Aro opened his eyes, confusion in his face. "That's odd, yet very fascinating." He murmured, before turning to Clarence. "And you, little man. I know nothing of you."

"Hello there, I'm Clarence." He said, reaching out a hand to shake. Aro avoided it and put a hand to touch his forehead.

"Oh my, your hand is quite cold. Nothing a little sun light or a heater couldn't cure! " Clarence said, cheerfully. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but, again, I wanted to hit him. Aro's face narrowed and he took his hand away. "What are you?"

"Pardon?"

"I can't see your mind."

"Oh, I'm an angel, 2nd class. Haven't got my wings yet, you see…"

By Aro's expression, I got that he thought he was dealing with a crazy person. His gaze slid back to me and he looked thoughtful. I wished I could see what he was thinking. He looked distracted and a little ruffled, but nodded to me and went back to his place beside Caius and Marcus. I saw his lips moving too quickly and quietly for my human hearing to understand. The other two gave away nothing.

I shifted from foot to foot and Clarence patted my arm. "What happens now?" I whispered, partially to myself. "Oh, I don't know. But this is getting a bit interesting." Clarence said.

After a few minutes, all three of them stood up. I had a lot I wanted to say, but I held my tongue.

"Well, now I understand for the reason of your-ah-spur of the moment visit." Aro smiled, like he had a secret. "We really shouldn't keep you much longer…Jasper wasn't it?" He looked over his shoulder and held out an arm. "Alice?"

One of the cloaked vampires glided away from the wall and came to stand beside him and hold his hand. The hood fell away and I was looking at Alice.

The first thing I felt was relief and happiness to see her. Alice. But…only physically was it her. But her huge eyes were a crimson red and her usually sweet face was blank and cold as she looked at me. I began to move forward, but Clarence stopped me.

Alice looked up at Aro. "Yes, master?" She asked.

Aro's smile widened a little. "This man claims to be a Cullen and your husband. Can you verify this?"

"Alice!" I blurted out, "I'm Jasper! You have to believe me! I know you remember. We met in a diner in Philadelphia in 1948! You said you'd been waiting for me and-,"

"I've never seen him before in my life, master." She cut in icily, examining me critically. "He's a mere human."

No. Nonono. Alice wouldn't forget me. COULDN'T forget me! I kept rambling. "Clarence put some kind of spell that made everything change and I became human, and everyone forgot me! You must have seen that!" I shot accusingly at Aro. "How else can you explain it?"

"Permission to kill him, master?" Alice asked, sweetly.

"Well, I was actually enjoying this unique situation." Aro replied, enjoying whatever his twisted version of happiness was. I couldn't believe it. He knew. He had to know the situation! He was playing along like he didn't, but he knew. I wanted to kill him more than anything.

"I can't believe this." I snapped. "Aro-tell her! Did you even tell _them_?" I gestured fiercely at Marcus and Caius. I vaguely noticed a few of the guards stirring in the background. Raising your voice at one of the Volturi wasn't exactly something someone did if they wanted to keep their spine intact.

"It's completely fascinating. He really believes this little story in his head is true." Caius said in a gravelly voice.

"Yes, interesting," Marcus said, seeming less impressed. "This meeting is wasting our time, Aro. I say we kill him and be over with it."

"He does seem to know a remarkable amount." Aro mused. "It's very unexplainable."

"It's not unexplainable, dammit!" I hollered, rage pulsing violently inside of me. Clarence threw me a cautioning look.

"Bored now," Alice said, examining her nails.

"Alice-!"

"Well, he has exhibited irrational anger. That can't be good for society. Maybe you're right." Aro said, locking his cold…ugly eyes with me. I scowled back. Then he turned to Alice. "If you'll do the honors, Alice?"

"With pleasure," She replied, and began to stalk gracefully towards me. I backed up, just the tiniest bit. "Alice," I said quietly, "you don't want to do this. You need to go back to Carlisle. You aren't meant to be here."

She growled, her mouth twisting downward. "You don't know me." There was nothing familiar in her eyes as they glinted red and malicious. I couldn't believe I was doing nothing. All I could do was watch in petrified shock as the love of my life came closer to kill me. Her eyes…

"Run, Jasper!" Clarence hollered, randomly leaping in front of me. Startled, I fell back a few feet, and Alice was suddenly in front of us. With a flick of her wrist she sent him crashing into a wall.

"Don't hurt him!" I snarled. Annoying as he was, I didn't want him to be hurt. I hoped he was okay. "Clarence!"

"Kill them both, dear." Aro called, lazily.

"Joseph!" I heard Clarence call weakly. "A little help would be nice!"

I stumbled, and the last thing I saw was Alice lunging at me before everything went black.

I opened my eyes.

I was no longer in the Volturi's room. I was in the middle of the street on a nonbusy road. It was very dark. I squinted around, making out some buildings.

"Clarence?" I called out, my voice hoarse.

"That was a close one. That actually hurt a bit." He muttered, "The things I do for my wings!" Then the weirdest thing happened: my legs buckled and I collapsed numbly on the curb. I wasn't use to being tired. I hadn't been tired in years. But after today's events, I wanted to sleep for a thousand years.

"You okay, Jasper?"

"Alice…she didn't remember me." I whispered, and coughed. "It's your fault." I was too tired to raise my voice.

"Why would she? You've never been born. That was your wish and now it's true." Clarence said, gently. For once, I didn't argue.

"Aro knew. He didn't tell them the truth." I said, anger coming back. I slammed my fist against the pavement. Clarence didn't say anything.

"That one guard…Demetri. He's a tracker." I said.

"Oh, I believe we'll be fine here tonight." Clarence said. "It's thanks to Joseph that we're fine at all." We lapsed into silence after that.

It was quiet. I heard cicadas buzzing, but that was it. No traffic, no voices.

After a minute, I asked, "Where are we?"

"This is Salado, Texas; home of the historic Stagecoach Inn."

"There some relevance here?" I asked, bitterly. I didn't know if I could take anymore. I was drop dead work out.

"Oh, you'll have to see for yourself tomorrow. It's very late. We should find somewhere to sleep for now so you can regain your strength. We have a big day ahead of us!"

"I haven't slept in years," I said.

"Well, now's a great time to start." Clarence tugged me to my feet. "I'm pretty sure there's a hotel or something nearby…" We began to trudge down the deserted street.

"Can I fix this?" I asked. Clarence looked at me. "It's all up to you. What you want."

"Tomorrow," I mumbled, stifling a yawn, and feeling a little better. "Tomorrow, I'll fix it. I can make it better. I can get Alice back and…" I yawned again. Jeez, it was hard to think straight when the world was swaying a little.

We walked past an old Confederate soldier memorial site.

"Tomorrow…"

**Eek. Good night. It's like 2:00 in the morning here.**


End file.
